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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Book Review: Entice by Carrie Jones


ENTICE BY CARRIE JONES 
Reading level: Young Adult 
Hardcover: 272 pages 
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (December 14, 2010) 
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository



Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead. Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't turned into just any pixie. . . She's Astley's queen.



Book Opening: 
"Am I really not allowed to complain about being here?" I ask as we enter Bedford High School about an hour late for the winter ball."


"It's true. I can feel it. The truth he speaks is a warmth, gold and light brushing against my cheeks.


Entice. by Carrie Jones"Let me rescue him for you. Let me do this for you," he insists. His fingers brush against the fabric of my parka."- Page 80

"You will always be my granddaughter, Zara. That is who you are, damn it. Don't forget it. We are not defined by our species any more than our nationality or our gender. What we do, our choices, that's what defines us." - Page 33


ENTICE, the third installment in Carrie Jones' Need series, picks up where the last book ended. We find ourselves back alongside Zara, Issie, Devyn and Pixie King Astley. Besides trying to keep the town safe from the murderous needs of the pixies lurking in the shadows beyond the trees, Zara must find a way to save Nick. (And if you've read the last book, you know he is in some serious trouble indeed.)

 My favorite aspect of this series is still how well personalized Carrie Jones has adapted her pixies so that there is nothing else on the market quite like it. I love the blue-tinged skin, the glittering trails of gold dust, their strange, hierarchal ways and dark penchants for blood. Small-town rural Maine is the perfect backdrop for a series like this- it's like something out of a Steven King movie. You can almost feel the biting cold of a town where it never stops snowing, where roads twist and turn around dark corners. The ominous tree-lined forest is shudder-worthy. You know that evil waits beyond its borders- it will whisper your name, luring you in until you are trapped and it's too late. 

Astley has quickly become my favorite character. Though he is a pixie, he is also kind and just.
Tormented by the responsibility of his title, Astley is old beyond his years. I find his character striking, particularly in contrast to those of Zara, Issie and Devyn. Astley is wise beyond his years and his maturity shows when he interacts with them. Throughout the course of this book, I switched from wanting Zara to get Nick back, to wanting her to focus solely on Astley. I know I'm not supposed to, but I couldn't help it. He has become an important addition to the series, and brings a lot of tension and intrigue into Zara's world.

Zara on the other hand, frustrated me more in this book than ever before with her immaturity. I didn't like the way she didn't truly appreciate all Astley was putting on the line for her. (She is also way too liberal with the use of the word "squee"  which drives me crazy). I honestly thought at times that Astley was way too good for her. I hope in future installments Zara proves me wrong by gaining some much needed maturity and more of a back-bone when it comes to living up to her new role as Queen.  I can understand the enormity of her responsibility—the demands of being Queen, the stress of losing so many loved ones and of trying to get to a mythical place to save Nick (that may or may not exist). But I'd like to see her go through the process with a little more growth, and less of a juvenile attitude toward everything. For instance, it bothered me that she went to a school dance instead of going home to let her grief-stricken grandmother  know she was alive. How could she do that? It also bothered me that when Astley had her meet his subjects, she ran away like a child.

With all that being said, don't get me wrong- I still love this series. Instead of phobias or helpful facts about pixies, this time around Carrie Jones treats us to news "headlines" and blog posts from citizens of the town. I've always loved these little touches to the storyline – it's like a bonus cherry on top that provides insight into what's been going on and also establishes the general mood of pandemonium running rampant through Zara's world.  ENTICE doesn't end with quite the same shocker of a cliff-hanger, but it will make you anxious to read the next book.  I can only imagine what trials await!


BOOKS IN THE NEED SERIES


 NeedCaptivateEntice





CARRIE JONES loves Great Pyrenees dogs, Skinny Cow fudgsicles, and potatoes. In addition to the New York Times bestsellers Need and Captivate, Carrie is also the author of Girl, Hero; Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape); and Tips on Having a Gay (Ex-)Boyfriend. Carrie grew up in Bedford, New Hampshire, where she once had a séance with uber-comedian Sarah Silverman. She now lives in Ellsworth, Maine.
www.needpixies.com
www.carriejonesbooks.com









GIVEAWAY  
 One finished copy of ENTICE  and bookmark
*Courtesy of Bloomsbury Teen 
Entice (Need, #3)
BY CARRIE JONES 
Zara and Nick are soul mates, meant to be together forever. 

But that's not quite how things have worked out.

For starters, well, Nick is dead. 

Supposedly, he's been taken to a mythic place for warriors known as Valhalla, so Zara and her friends might be able to get him back. But it's taking time, and meanwhile a group of evil pixies is devastating Bedford, with more teens going missing every day. An all-out war seems imminent, and the good guys need all the warriors they can find. But how to get to Valhalla?

And even if Zara and her friends discover the way, there's that other small problem: Zara's been pixie kissed. When she finds Nick, will he even want to go with her? Especially since she hasn't just turned...she's Astley's queen
 
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4 comments:

Jessy said...

Zara sounds like a total brat in this one. I can't wait to find out more about Astley though. Every review I've read, everyone is swooning over him.

Sheila Deeth said...

Definitely intriguing.

Bere said...

I agree with everything you stated, Kim! I love this series too and I only hope the Zara matures in future installments as well. You know what; I had the same dilemma too. I found myself rooting for Astley most of the time. He truly is a great character! Excellent review, Kim =D.

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